A woman who used to weigh 28 stone after eating gravy for breakfast has launched a fundraiser to remove her excess skin after overhauling her diet.
Allison Clausen, 28, from Arizona, US, shed eight stone after swapping cheeseburgers and ice cream for fresh fruit and lean turkey.
At her heaviest, the now fitness fanatic weighed 28 stone, eating biscuits and gravy for breakfast, as well as snacking on ice cream, sweets and fizzy drinks.
She began her weight loss journey in December 2018 and after initially losing seven-and-a-half stone over a year, Allison slipped back into old habits during the first lockdown and put on five stone.
In October 2021, she decided to get healthy and documented the process on her TikTok (@_finallylosingweight) in a bid to hold herself accountable and inspire others.
By being strict with her diet for seven months and working out up to six times a week, Allison now weighs 20 stone – and has never felt better.
“Growing up I was always larger than everyone in my class but I put on most of the weight during my adult years,” Allison told Jam Press.
“I didn’t have anyone holding me accountable, and it was so much easier to eat take out then it was to cook a balanced meal.
“Life happens, and when life gets hard, I turn to food. I always have.
“I needed to make my journey public. I needed people to hold me accountable.”
She decided to upload daily videos documenting her journey to give a realistic account of losing weight.
Allison said: “Representation is so important, and I never saw my body type in social media, nor did I ever see someone start their journey and document all of it.
“I was used to seeing the ‘after’ pictures and the success stories, but I felt there was a need to share everything from start to finish.
“I also knew that having a digital video diary would be so helpful to look back on when I have rough days.
“People tell me all the time how inspirational I am, and how watching me has helped their own issues and changed their own mindset on weight loss.”
After losing eight stone, Allison is now left with excess skin and is determined to get a tummy tuck, breast lift, arm lift and bra roll lift in a bid to complete her transformation.
She has started a fundraiser online to raise money for skin removal, where she has so far raised $6,752 of her $50,000 goal.
She said: “I can’t even begin to describe what getting the excess skin removed would mean to me.
“It is hard to see my progress underneath the remnants of my former life.
“I am not ashamed of my body – I show it all over the internet. But I would like to see what everyone else sees.
“I look in the mirror and I see the 401lb-girl looking back at me.”
Allison has over 249,000 followers on TikTok, with many calling her journey an inspiration.
One social media user said: “You are killing it!!! So proud of you!!!!!”
“Thanks for being so open! I had no idea what skin would look like with that much weight loss,” another user commented.
“Look at you! I was here when you first started! I can’t believe how much you’ve grown and succeeded! Proud of you sis”, added someone else.
A fourth TikToker commented: “Girrrrl! Look at all the work you did! Amazing and such an inspiration.”
A fifth follower added: “Beautiful! I had to check the screen name because I legit didn’t recognize you!!!!!!! Get it girl!!.”
Allison also helps inspire others to shed the pounds with a monthly competition where she and her players have so far lost a combined total of 45,000lbs.
She added: “Sharing my journey through social media has not only helped me succeed, but also thousands of others.”
ALLISON’S DIET BEFORE:
Breakfast: biscuits and gravy
Lunch: Two fried chicken sandwiches, large french fries
Dinner: Two double cheeseburgers, tater tots, ranch, and a soda
Snacks: Ice cream, candy, chocolate
Drinks: Full-fat soft drinks
ALLISON’S DIET AFTER:
Breakfast: Fairlife, eggs, potatoes
Lunch: Turkey and apple sandwich, protein bar, fresh fruit
Dinner: Rice and chicken
Snacks: Protein shakes/drinks
Drinks: Gatorade 0, diet soft drinks
